NBA Slam Dunk Do-Over - Chris 'Preach' Smith

His Airness, Michael Jordan.

Tomorrow will mark one week since the NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston, Texas. 
And it will also be a week removed from possibly one of the most god-awful Slam Dunk
contests the NBA has overseen. If you happened to be on any form of social media that
night, you could pour all of that frustration off the Web like extra grease from a pan of
fried whiting. It got so bad that the only thing flashy at one point was Darryl ‘Chocolate
Thunder’ Dawkins’ suit. It was so painful that even TNT’s ‘Inside The NBA’ crew struggled
to add some flair to it. This crown jewel of the weekend has become a cubic zirconia right
before our eyes. But there’s no mystery as to why. And I’ve got three ways that could help
get the Dunk Contest back to its former glory.

1)Bring The Stars Back.

For all of us, you mention the Dunk Contest and the names pop out at you. Michael Jordan.
Dominique Wilkins. Julius ‘Dr.J’ Erving. We haven’t had the superstars come out and get 
down for a couple of years now. it’s to the point that Lebron James makes it a yearly ritual
to hem and haw about the contest, then once people are selected, to front like he wanted
to take part. (Note to Lebron - STOP SHAMMING.) The last notable star was Blake Griffin
winning it in 2011. And then deciding not to defend the title, possibly because there were
allegations of the NBA rigging the contest. (More on that later.) Granted, the big name
players don’t want to risk injury and that is to be respected. But most, if not all of these
cats grew up watching the same contests we did back in the day. Maybe the league should
sweeten the pot a little bit more. Look to the Skills competition (insert groan here); they
could wind up having a dunker represent a teenager in the hunt for scholarship money. Or
even have a tie in with State Farm where a homeowner gets a chance to win money or a
home. This isn’t a shot towards players like Jeremy Evans and others who are role players
and swingmen normally. But this contest has always been about big names versus lesser
known names. Look at Larry Nance beating out Dr.J in 1984, or Gerald Green’s win in 2007.
So Lebron, Blake and Kevin Durant…you’re up.

2)NBA Officials: Sometimes Less Is Best

I remember once, in the contest’s lean years in the mid 90’s, talking with someone about
how lame things had gotten. He offered up a theory that maybe the NBA was trying to 
let the contest die a slow death due to it being a by-product of the ABA when the two
leagues merged. Now, that may seem outlandish but you have to wonder why the NBA
seems to act like contestants on a season of ‘Hell’s Kitchen’. It might be best for them to
let fans decide on certain new elements for the contest rather than just introduce them
at this point. Mind you, the fan voting is a master stroke. But the allowance of numerous
attempts for a dunk is horrible. Abolish that and you’ll see a better competition. Nate
Robinson may not have been the only three-time champ if that rule was in place back
in 2006. Nothing’s worse than seeing someone try the same dunk over and over again
with no success. Getting rid of the multiple attempts would force dunkers to craft a great
overall strategy rather than focus on two showcase dunks. Also, the NBA should have
left well enough alone and let music be more prominent. We all remember the fiasco that
saw Isaiah Rider win in 1994 over the instrumental to Brandy’s ‘I Wanna Be Down’. Make
it upbeat, like we were back in the park. Lastly, don’t put yourselves in the middle of any
controversy. Look at 2011. Sending out announcements that Blake Griffin won BEFORE
the contest even happened with a Kia tie-in? Come the hell on. Even the judging has 
gotten suspect. Giving someone a 10 on a regular dunk made after SEVEN tries means
you should lose your judging spot automatically and be forced to sit with Reggie Miller at
his next dentist’s appointment.


Vince ‘Half-Man Half-Amazin’ Carter at his best.

3)Embrace the playground again.

Part of the whole appeal about the Dunk Contest is that it’s birthplace IS the asphalt
confines of the playground. Its life-blood stems from Rucker Park, Soul In The Hole,
Berry Farms, The Pit and countless other places across America. Denying that just 
to mollify corporate fears that you’re encouring ‘thuggish’ elements or trying to hype
new events is not the way to go. (Oh, and New York City will STILL never forgive you
for that NBA 2Ball atrocity during the only time they’ve ever had an All Star Weekend
here. Had to throw that in.) There’s no reason that a major sports league with global
ties can’t add in a little bit more of the street flair. Get Harlem’s own Duke Tango to
do the play-by-play. As stated before, maybe have a top notch DJ just for that event.
Maybe invite cats like Joe ‘The Destroyer’ Hammond, ‘Jumpin’ Jackie Jackson and others
to sit in on the festivities with the NBA greats. 

I hope the NBA is taking notes, because the Dunk Contest is a vital part of the league’s
culture as well as the nation’s culture. And we don’t want it to go the way of the NFL’s
Pro Bowl now, do we?